MRS. DUFRESNE: A Romance

This might be considered a pattern for romance, but as a romance it skirts the issues. It is a story of mixed passions and loyalties, against an island setting in the British West Indies (formerly French possessions). An English girl goes to a friend as nursery governess; she disturbs the mores of the island society by marrying the impecunious son of an old French family; he is killed in the Boer War and she carries on. She brings estate and mills back to a paying basis; she raises the twin boy and girl; she loves and aids David, artist son of her ex-employer, and she tries to save him from his futile love for selfish Clare. At the close, David falls victim to the clash of loyalties within himself, -- loyalty to the traditions of his heritage, loyalty to the workers whose cause he champions. Mrs. Dufresne, as romantic material, somehow doesn't come through. It is a readable story against a colorful background, but it isn't a particularly important step in Elizabeth Cambridge's career. I still like Hostages to Fortune best of her books.